Automatic control device for elevators.



L. J. MILKE. AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.29,1909.

957,077. Patented May 3, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES Al/orn y L. J. MILKE.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.29, 1909.

957,077. Patented May 3, 1910.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I I .-li| wt lV/TNESSES I INVENTO/L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LOUIS J'. 'M'I'L KE, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLA ND.

AUTOMATIC CONTROL DEVICE FOR ELEVATORS.

Specification of Letters ratent.

Patented May 3, 1910.

Application flledianuary 29, 1909. Serial No. 4175,1154.

through't e medium of a series of switches constituting circuit breakers in the hoisting and lowering power circuits-of the elevator. The said switches are operated in one direction by means of a-solenoid which is located on a local circuitand is energized thereby, such energization being contro ed by a series pf circuit breakers located in the said local me. breaker is located-on a door adjacent thereto, so that -on the first o ening movement of the-door'the circuit wil be broken.

Another feature .of my invention resides in the fact ,that-should the door be opened and the operator inadvertently move the controller ever to the full speed position and then close the door, the power will be gradually cut in just .as if a plied in the usual manner .by the control er, thus pre venting undue strain on the mechanism or burningout of the armature.

The invention will be better understood from the :following description taken in connection with the accom anying drawing in which like characters 0? reference are used throughout the several figures, in which drawings Figure .1 is a view in elevation of an elevator equipped with my invention, the same being schematically shown: Fig. 2 is an elevation partly in section of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1, the same being drawn to a larger scale, and Fig. 3 is a section on the line .A, B, of Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. .1, thereis shown at C an elevator shaft door-partially open, and at I) one in .the closed position. Located on each of the said'doors, at a convenient point as indicated at 1, is a block of conducting material insulated from the door as indicated and. serving when the door is closed The plug member of each circuit to make contact with two-terminals2 and 3 secured at a oint adjacent to the door and in-thc path of the block 1.

A conductor 4 diagrammatically shown leads from one of the contacts 3 to :the

winding oif a solenoid coil 5,.

From the contact-,2 a conductor 6 leads to the next adjacent (contact :3, and although only two doors, and :but 'two sets of circuit breakers are shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that .any number of contacts Qand 3 corresponding-tothe number'of doors and located adjacent ethereto may be connected in series, and from the last a conductor .7 .leadsto a battery 8, and thence to the solenoid coil 5.

The solenoid .5 is secured to ;a -.U .shaped bracket 9 which in turn issecured to :a base 10 from which rises a boss 11 having a through hole '12, square in cross section and into which 'is fitted a likewise shaped slide rod 13. Secured-thereto at spaced intervals and insulated therefrom as shown at 14, are a number ofknife-blade-contact members 15,

.adapted to engage between spring contacts 16, arranged in the path of said members 15, the members 16 being one set of terminals for the different circuits constituting the speed changing mechanism of the elevator hoist, the said members 15 and 16 forming circuit breakers or switches in these circuits.

The members 16 are secured to -a post 17 at spaced intervals, and insulated therefrom as indicated at 18, and are rovided with down-turned ends 19 of varying length .for a purpose which will presentl ap ear.

1 Binding posts 20 are provided or the attachment of the conductors 21, said conductors forming one lead from the switchboard or other source of current supply, through a controller 22 located in the ear F,

the circuit being completed through a-con-.

ductor 23.

The upperend 2 1=of theslide rod 13 -forms the core of the solenoid, and its-extremeend 25 is formed into a iston head and isifitted into the spool 26 o the solenoid coil, thus forming a dashpot. ,The speed at which the core travels on its upward stroke is ,pot.

The solenoid core is .provided with a central duct 28, opening to one side at its lower end'and opening into a cup-shaped chamber 29 in the upper end of said core 24, where it is closed during upward movement of said core by a ball valve 30.

The operation of the device is as follows: Observe Fig. 1 and let it be assumed that the operator desires to lower the car F, he closes the door, thereby plugging the gap between contacts 2 and 3 adjacent to the said door; the local circuit is thus closed and the solenoid 5 energized. The armature core 24 responds to the attraction of the solenoid and moves u wardly, carrying with it the contact members 15, thereby closing the breaks in the conductor 21. The operator may now proceed to cut in the current in the usual manner by the use of the controller lever 28 until the desired speed is attained. Again, assuming the door to be in the open position, should the operator inadvertently move the controller lever, say to the highest speed position, and then close the door, a sudden rush of heavy current, as would otherwise occur, would not result, because as hereinbefore stated, the terminals 19 are of difierent lengths, thus making the space between the terminals 19 and the switch members 15 of difierent length, and by observin Fig. 1, it will be seen that the least space is between the members making the break in the circuit to the first point on the controller box; the space between the members 15 and 19 thus increases successively, so that the current is out in just as if cut in by the controller lever. 28. The cutting in of these-various circuits may be made as gradual as desired by the adjustment of the set screw 27. It being desired that the solenoid core shall descend quickly when its circuit is broken, I provide for the same by the duct 28, which will freely admit air above the piston 25 of said core during the downward movement thereof. At the first opening movement of the door when the desired floor is reached, the circuit passing through the solenoid is broken and the rod 13 is moved downwardly under the action of a spring 29 so that the circuit conductors v21 are broken and it will be impossible to move the car until the door is again closed.

Slight changes and alterations might be resorted to in the form and arrangement of the several parts described, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and hence I do not wish to limit myself 0 the exact construction as herein set forth;

Havin fully described my invention, what I c aim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A safety-mechanism for electricallypropelled elevators, comprising, in combination with an elevator-car, hoisting-and-lowering speed-changing circuits, having terminals, an armature-member carrying circuitmake-and-break members disposed in proximity to said terminals, a solenoid adapted, when energized, to attract said armaturemember and thereby to bring said circuitmake-and-break members into contact with said terminals to complete the circuit, a circuit for energizing said solenoid, terminalmembers in said clrcuit, and a member carried by the elevator-shaft door adapted to contact with said terminal-members, thus to close the circuit when the door is closed and, vice-versa, to break the circuit when the door is open.

2. A safety-mechanism for electricallypropelled elevators, comprising, in combination with an elevator-car, hoisting-and-low ering speed-changing circuits, having terminals, an armature-member carrying circuitmake-and-break members disposed in proximity to said terminals, a solenoid adapted, when energized, to attract said armaturemember and thereby to bring said circuitmake-and-break members into contact with said terminals to complete the circuit, the upper portion of said armature-member being formed as a piston and working in the central bore of said solenoid, a circuit for energizing said solenoid, terminal-members in said circuit, and a member carried by the elevator-shaft door adapted to contact with said terminal-members, thus to close the circuit, when the door is closed, and, vice-versa, to break the circuit when the door is open.

3. A safety-mechanism for electricallypropelled elevators, comprising, in combination with an elevator-car, hoisting-and-lowering speed-changing circuits, having terminals, an armature-member carrying circuitmake-and-break members disposed in proximity to said terminals, a solenoid adapted, when energized, to attract said armaturemember and thereby to bring said circuitmake-and-break members into contact with said terminals to complete the circuit, perforated means closing the upper end of the central bore of said solenoid, the upper portion of said armature-member being formed.

as a piston and working in the central bore of said solenoid, a circult for energizing said solenoid, terminal-members in said circuit, and a member carried by the elevator-shaft door adapted, when the door is closed, to contact with said terminal-members, thus to close the circuit, and, vice versa, when the door is open, to break the circuit.

4. A safety-mechanism for electricallypropelled elevators, comprising, in combination with an elevator-car, hoisting-and-lowering speed-changing circuits, having terminals, an armature-member carrying circuitmake-and-break members disposed in proximity to said terminals, a solenoid adapted, when energized, to attract said armaturemember and thereby to bring said circuit make-and-break members into contact with said terminals to com lete the circuit, means closing the upper on of the central bore of said solenoid, and .comprising, in part, a setscrew having a V shaped slot, the upper portion of said armature-member being formed as a piston and working in the central bore of said solenoid, a circuit for energizing said solenoid, terminal-members in said circuit, and a member carried by the elevator-shaft door adapted, when the door is closed, to contact with said terminal-members, thus to close the circuit, and, vice versa, when the door is open, to break the circuit.

5. A safety-mechanism for electrically propelled elevators, comprising, in combination with an elevator-car, hoisting-and-lowering speed-changing circuits, having terminals, a vertically-disposed armature-member carryin horizontally disposed, spaced circuit-ma e-and-break members disposed in proximity to said terminals and of difiering lengths, a solenoid adapted, when energized,

to attract said armature-member and thereby.

to bring said circuit make-and-break members into contact with said terminals to complete the circuit, a circuit for energizing said solenoid, terminal-members in said circuit, and a member carried by the elevatorshaft door adapted to contact with said terminal-members, thus to close the circuit when the door is closed and, vice versa, to break the circuit when the door is opened.

6. A 'safety mechanism for electricallypropelled elevators, comprising, in combination with an elevator-car, hoisting-and-lowering speed-changing circuits, a vertical post, carrying spaced horizontally-disposed terminals for said s eed-changing-circuits, a vertically-dis ose armature-member carrying horizontal -disposed, spaced circuit-makeand-break members disposed in proximity to said terminals and of differing lengths, a solenoid adapted, when ener 'zed, to attract said armature-member and t ereby to bring said circuit-make-and-break members into contact with said terminals to complete the circuit, a circuit for energizing said solenoid, terminal-members in said circuit, andamember carried by the elevator-shaft door adapted to cont-act with said terminal-members, thus to close the circuit when the door is closed and, vice versa,'to break the circuit when the door is opened.

7 A safety -mechanism for electricallypropelled elevators, comprising, in combination with an elevator-car, hoisting-and-lowering speed-changing circuits, a vertical .post carrying spaced, horizontally-disposed terminals for said speed-changing circuits, said terminals having down-turned endortions of differing lengths, a vertically- 'sposed armature-member carrying horizontally-disposed, spaced circuit-make-and-break members disposed in roximity to said terminals and of diiferin engths, a solenoid adapted,

when energize to attract said armature member and thereby to bring said circuitmake-and-break members into contact with said terminals to complete the circuit, a circuit for energizin said solenoid, terminalmembers in said-c1rcuit, and a member carried by the elevator-shaft door adapted to contact with said terminal-members, thus' to close the'circu-it when-the door is closed and, vice versa, to break the circuit when the door is opened.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' LOUIS J. MILKE. -\Vitnesses:

E. WAL'ION Baawmeron, MARY M. MAGRAW. 

